Schools challenged to go car free
An environmental gauntlet has been thrown down before schools, challenging them to come up with innovative ways to go car free, while also potentially winning some great prizes.
The most innovative and successful school in Warwickshire will win £100 for their school and a chance to win the top prize of £500 for the best school campaign in the West Midlands.
Secondary schools all over the West Midlands are being asked to take part in the Car Free Challenge, encouraging more students and teachers to walk, cycle, or use public transport to get to school.
The challenge highlights alternatives to using the car, while also helping students to become healthier, and making the roads less congested and safer.
By 2050 almost 60% of the population could be obese, with nearly 30% of 2 to 15 year olds currently being classed as overweight or obese. Walking or cycling to and from school provides an easy, daily opportunity for exercise and gets students outdoors and more active.
With the ever increasing petrol price, walking to school will also help parents save money. Reducing car use will also reduce school carbon emissions, 16% of which result from school travel and transport.
Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “This is a great campaign that will not only help the environment by reducing the number of cars on the road and combat the increasingly growing obesity problem, it will also motivate students to become creative and organised about a real life issue that has to be tackled.”
The challenge is for student groups who will need to be as innovative as possible to encourage people to go car free for a two week period. The challenge is due to take place between the 26th April and the 7th May.
An awards event will be held next autumn to award the winners and the winning campaign will be turned into a new campaign for all secondary schools.
If a school wants to be part of the Car Free Challenge, visit the website: http://www.schooltravelwise.org.uk/carfreechallenge for more details.